


Don't Leave Me

by iwillrunforever



Category: DCU, Gotham (TV)
Genre: Danger, F/M, Threats, because those are the only ones i can write apparently, unhealthy relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21994882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwillrunforever/pseuds/iwillrunforever
Summary: You promised Jeremiah that you would be with him forever. But life has no regard for promises, and fear is a powerful thing.
Relationships: Jeremiah Valeska/Reader
Kudos: 28





	Don't Leave Me

Jeremiah had always been afraid that you would leave him. His life was less than normal, and you made a lot of sacrifices to be with him. The isolation, living in the maze, the constant fear of his brother returning for him. For most people, it would be too much. And he had accepted that long ago. But then you came along. And you accepted him, accepted every strange and unusual and difficult part of his life. And you made him better. With you, his fears and anxieties vanished into nothing. He was confident, even suave. You were happy together.

And then, his worst fears came true. Jerome came looking for him. Of course, he had told you everything about his childhood: their mother’s distant nature, Jerome’s inherent violence, how he had been lucky enough to escape it all before he became trapped in the vicious cycle of destruction the rest of his family were already entwined with. And you knew who Jerome Valeska was. Everyone in Gotham knew. Out of all the insane criminals who had terrorised Gotham, he had left his mark on the city in the way few had. After his death, you couldn’t walk five minutes without seeing the graffiti in his honour. And then he came back. Plunging the city into chaos once more. And then he had come for Jeremiah. Your Jeremiah. You had never known fear like the fear you felt being stalked through the labyrinth by Jerome and his cronies. Coming face to face with him was surreal. You could remember every moment of the encounter, every breath you had taken as you stared death in his twisted, mangled face.

 _“And who’s this?” Jerome crooned mockingly at you, keeping the gun on Jeremiah as he tilted his head to stare at you. You clung to Jeremiah’s arm_ _as he pushed you behind him to keep you from Jerome’s view. “You got yourself a little girlfriend, eh, bro?” He chuckled darkly, moving closer like a shark drawn to blood.  
“Leave her alone, Jerome. She doesn’t have anything to do with this.”   
“Oh, brother, of course she does. You involved her, you knew the dangers. And now,” He waved the gun about haphazardly and you flinched, “The consequences are here.” Throughout his rambling you kept quiet, hoping that silence would make you less of a target for Jerome’s focus, that he would lose interest in you, but it merely piqued his interest. “Seems like a quiet one. How much does she really know about our childhood, I wonder?”  
“I know you tried to kill Jeremiah,” You spoke up, unable to stay silent as your boyfriend was mentally tortured. “I know you ruined his life.”  
“(Y/N), don’t -”  
“So she speaks!” He chortled and you instinctively took a step back, only serving to make him laugh more. “Is that what he told you? That I’ve been a killer since we were children?” You nod hesitantly. “Well, sorry to tell you, but my brother here is a liar. Now, I may not have been perfect, but Jeremiah turned everyone I knew against me. He was always the favourite – and he knew it. He blames me for wrecking his life, but, the truth is, he made me what I am. You know what they say: we all could go insane with just one bad day.”_

The terror you felt seeing Jerome hold a gun to Jeremiah’s head was like nothing you had ever experienced. Stood there, frozen in fear, with his life on the line; you don’t know what you would have done if the detectives hadn’t appeared. And then it only got worse. Jeremiah didn’t want you to come to the concert, didn’t want to put you in danger again. You knew he felt guilty for what had happened. But you couldn’t let him face his brother alone. So you stood in the crowd watching him, a bomb strapped to his neck, his insane brother monologuing about his tragic childhood. It made you sick. At the end of the day, seeing Jerome dead on the roof of a car, it didn’t feel real. But no matter how you felt you knew it didn’t compare to the chaos of emotions Jeremiah must be going through. So you stood by his side, held his hand, and made sure he knew you were there for whatever he needed.

When you arrived back at the maze you went straight to bed, Jeremiah assuring you that he would join you soon, that he just had to check something in his office. Little did you know, that would be the last time you saw the Jeremiah you knew.

Of course, Jerome had to have the last laugh.

In the morning you went looking for Jeremiah. The bed was cold. The halls of the maze quiet. You called for him and were answered only with echoes of your own voice. When you reached the office, you saw that fateful jack-in-the-box, grinning up at you mockingly. And that was when Jeremiah found you.

“(Y/N).” You turned and saw his silhouette in the door, his face shrouded in shadow.  
“Jeremiah?” You took a cautious step forward. The tension between the two of you could be cut with a knife, but you didn’t understand where it was coming from. But you could tell something was wrong. “Are you okay?”  
“Don’t be afraid, (Y/N).” There was something different about his voice.   
“What happened to you?”  
“Jerome. His insanity gas.” He stepped closer, still staying out of the light of the screens. “Don’t worry, it didn’t work. But, it did have… some physical effects.”  
“Like what?” Your heart was starting to race.   
“Just…” You could hear the tremor in his voice, the anxiety, “Just don’t be afraid.”

And he stepped into the light. You gasped at the image before you. His skin was ghostly white, lips red as blood. He had shed his glasses, and his eyes were a pale, unnatural green. He seemed to stand taller, surely just an effect of his straightened posture.   
“Jeremiah…” You whispered, and he examined your reaction.  
“I understand if you want to leave.” He turned his face away, ashamed. You closed the difference between you, your hand reaching out to cradle his face. It was cold.   
“What else has changed?” You wish you could just move past it, act as though nothing had happened, but if Jeremiah had been infected with Jerome’s insanity gas then you had to be certain that you were safe. That _he_ was safe.   
“I’m not insane, I promise you that.” His hand lifted to rest on your own, clasping it tightly. “In fact, I’m saner than I have ever been.”  
“What do you mean?” He moved your hand away from his face. His eyes stared into yours, reaching into your very soul. But behind them, you couldn’t see anything. If the eyes were the windows to the soul, then Jeremiah’s were closed. Or…  
“I see the world in a… different way now.”  
“Jerome’s way?”  
“No!” Jeremiah snapped and you flinched away. He sighed, offering a hand to you, and you took it, letting him draw you back to him. “I am nothing like my brother. He was insane, purposeless, an anarchist for the sake of anarchy.” You were starting to get scared now. “I am a builder. I always have been, you know that (Y/N). And I see what needs to be done to cure Gotham.” You didn’t want to imagine what Jeremiah meant by that. You understood now that this was not the Jeremiah you had known. He was different. “I want you by my side, (Y/N). I _need_ you by my side.” Maybe he was different, but the love and pain and fear in his voice were genuine. They were Jeremiah, pure and honest. “Please. I can’t do this without you.” And your mind was made up.   
“You won’t have to.” You wrapped your hands around his neck and pulled him down to your level, pressing your lips against his. He reciprocated the kiss immediately, hands gripping your waist tight, trapping you in his embrace. His lips, like his skin, were cold, but you pushed away the chill they sent through your body. No matter what, you had promised Jeremiah that you were with him through everything. And you refused to break your promise.

It was lucky that you had chosen to stay. While Jeremiah cared for you still, he couldn’t risk you telling people what had happened to him. He wasn’t sure what he would have done, if he would have killed you or held you prisoner until he was certain your loyalty was unwavering. But that wasn’t necessary. Not yet.


End file.
